This blog is used for broadcasting information about transport and parking at the University of Kent.

Monthly Archives: January 2017

If you regret not purchasing the academic year ticket in September, don’t worry as there is another chance to purchase the ticket which will take you through till the end of the academic year.

The Stagecoach Unirider ticket allows travel on any Stagecoach bus in Kent and East Sussex. The cost of the ticket is £170 and it is valid until 18 June 2017. The Unirider ticket is heavily discounted, gives you the freedom to explore Kent easily, and means you no longer need to have change ready to catch the bus.

Enrolment Management Services are holding two small applicant days this week. These are essential recruitment events for the University. To assist with these applicant days, some bays will be reserved at Canterbury campus:

Wednesday 1 February 2017- 13 bays will be reserved in Giles Lane for a Biosciences applicant day

Thursday 2 February 2017- 24 bays will be reserved in Giles Lane for a Computing applicant day

University of Kent Court AGM

Friday 3 February 2017 – 40 bays will be reserved in Giles Lane

As these are small events we do not expect these to have a large effect on parking. If you do find Giles Lane to be full upon arrival, please park in other car parks valid for your permit. This includes Park Wood Courts which is located by the Park Wood accommodation.

There are pedestrian signs within Park Wood Courts which inform you of the average time required to walk to the main campus. Alternatively, you can use the Park and Ride bus ticket that was sent with your parking permit to travel to and from the main campus.

Please remember that parking enforcement will continue in accordance with the University Regulations for the Management of Traffic.

Missed out on the Arriva discounted bus ticket at the start of the year? You have another opportunity to purchase the discounted bus ticket which is valid until 31 December 2017.

The ticket allows travel on any Arriva bus all over Medway, Kent and East Sussex. This includes the 191 trial service which operates to and from Liberty Quays- Campus- Chatham- Isle of Grain, which stops on Pembroke campus and at Western Avenue and Dock Road for access to the Historic Dockyard Chatham.

The student annual ticket is £140 which works out at around 39p per day. The staff annual ticket is £280 which works out at around 78p per day. To get access to these huge discounts you will need to enter the relevant promotional code found at www.kent.ac.uk/transport/arriva. Once you have entered the code, the price will drop down from £900 to £140 or £280 accordingly.

*update* The second cycle hire is now Friday 20 January between 12:00 and 14:00.

Cycle hire

The Transport Team, Estates department, work with CyclingAge to run an affordable cycle hire scheme at Canterbury Campus.

You can hire a bike for the term for £30 to help you get around campus and keep fit at the same time.

Hire a bike on Wednesday 18 January or Friday 20 January from CyclingAge at the new Cycle Hub located by the Pavilion on Park Wood road.

Dr Bike

Dr Bike is back each Wednesday during term-time to check and adjust your bike for free. Head to the Cycle Hub at the Pavilion between 8:30 and 15:00 each Wednesday. The first Dr Bike session is this Wednesday (18 January) which is the same day as the first cycle hire date.

For more information contact CyclingAge on uokcycle@cyclingage.co.uk or contact the Transport Team.

Timing is everything. If you go too early, you waste it, because it lands on a dry road and is blown away by the displaced air as vehicles drive past. If it is raining heavily (like yesterday afternoon) then it just washes away. Ideally it goes down on a damp surface and starts to stick, but if you are too late the surface is already frozen and the salt has to work harder to be effective but will prevent big sheets of ice forming.

The salt is hygroscopic which means that it attracts moisture from the air and it only becomes activated when it’s ‘trafficked’. So when it’s driven over the salt grinds down and mixes with the moisture it attracts and becomes the ideal brine, a salty water, which is when it is most effective.

Estates staff have all been working hard to ensure that the University can continue to operate during these adverse weather conditions. Please be aware that Canterbury campus is over 300 acres and has many walkways, steps, roads, car parks, accessible ramps and cycle routes. Similar to how local authorities manage gritting, we grit these areas according to their priority as not all areas can be covered at all times.

We would like to thank Grounds Maintenance at Canterbury campus and FM team at Medway campus for being on site last night and the early hours of this morning to make sure the priority roads and footpaths are gritted.

At Canterbury campus Grounds Maintenance, Estates, have gritted priority roads, pathways and car parks throughout the night and this morning.

At Medway campus gritting contractors and the Estates FM team have gritted priority roads, pathways and car parks this morning. Access roads to Dockyard buildings are clear as Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust have gritted the roads onsite overnight and the Estates FM team have gritted the entrance to the buildings this morning.

Please drive carefully and take extra precautions when walking to and from your vehicle and around campus as some areas may still be slippery.

We recommend you check traffic news or your transport provider for travel updates during this adverse weather. Visit www.kent.ac.uk/transport/planning for useful links to transport (and road) twitter accounts and service updates webpages.

The Campus Shuttle will start running again from Monday 16 January 2017.

The online booking system is available from today at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle. Booking guarantees you a seat on the service. If you do not book, you can still travel with your Kent One or Kent Union card if seats are available.

The Campus Shuttle is a free shuttle service between Medway and Canterbury campus that runs 7 days a week during term time. See timetable online.

If you have booked a seat, the driver will scan the QR code in your booking (either printed out or on a mobile device). If you have not booked, you will be asked to show your Kent One or Kent Union card. More information can be found at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle

If you are parking in the area shown in the photograph, located next to the Woolf pelican crossing on Giles Lane, you may be issued with a Parking Notice from Canterbury City Council. This area is part of the public highway and is therefore enforced by Canterbury City Council Parking Enforcement Team.

We understand the area is sometimes used by Kent Highway service vehicles and is not a designated parking area. Parking in this area is a cause for concern as vehicles parked here could potentially restrict vision to drivers on Giles Lane of pedestrians at the crossing.

Please only park in marked bays on campus in the area which your permit or parking ticket is valid for.